Often the delivery of a package or packages requires significant interaction between the shipper or the shipper's agent and a carrier. For example, the shipper may have some type of formalized business relationship with a carrier, or alternatively, the shipper may directly interact with the carrier at the carrier's or the shipper's place of business. Consequently, an individual shipping a package is often required to complete at least three steps. First, the shipper may complete some form of shipping paperwork for the carrier, including a shipping label, and attach the paperwork to the package. Second, the shipper may need to find a shipment drop-off location, which may be some type of mail drop or a carrier facility. Finally, the shipper may place the package in a mail-drop location or take the package to a manned carrier facility.
Alternatively, the carrier may provide package pickup services, thus enabling the shipper to contact the carrier to arrange for a time for the package to be picked up. In this case, the shipper may be required to generate a shipping label from supplies already in his or her possession (e.g., previously provided by the carrier), generate a label image using a web-based carrier application and a printer, or generate a shipping label at the time of pickup of the package using shipping label supplies provided by the carrier representative at the time of pickup.
Unfortunately, the above described methods limit the ability of an individual shipper to make shipments in the most efficient manner. For example, when an individual shipper engages in extensive travel, he or she may not have access to convenient drop-off facilities, a printer to generate a label image, and/or the shipper may not be able to schedule a convenient pickup time for his or her package.
A need, therefore, exists for a more efficient system and method for processing intake of packages that cuts down on the amount of required interaction between a shipper and a carrier, as well as on the amount of equipment and/or supplies needed by the shipper at the time of shipment.